1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and specifically, relates to an image processing apparatus, and an imaging apparatus, which recognize a specific subject included in an image, and a processing method according thereto, and a program causing a computer to execute the method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, improvement in performance has advanced regarding imaging apparatuses such as miniature cameras or the like implemented in digital still cameras, digital video cameras (e.g., integrated camera/recorder), and cellular phones. Recently, subject recognition technology that recognizes what a subject is, has gathered a great deal of attention. As this subject recognition technology, for example, face detection technology has been proposed wherein a person's face is detected from an imaged image by image processing.
Technology has been proposed wherein various types of face attributes such as facial expression, age, age group, and so forth are further determined by image processing regarding the face detected, using such face detection technology (so-called face attribute determination technology). For example, an imaging apparatus has been proposed wherewith, in a case where both adults and children are included in an imaged image as subjects, children are preferentially imaged so as to look better, as compared to adults, based on determined face attributes (e.g., the age and age group of a face). Also, for example, an imaging apparatus has been proposed wherein a facial expression evaluation value relating to a specific facial expression (e.g., the degree of smiling) is calculated regarding the face detected using the face detection technology, and in the case of this facial expression evaluation value exceeding a threshold, a recording operation of an imaged image is automatically executed (e.g., see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-42319).